Improvised Broadway musicals, onstage therapy for stand-up comedians, a sketch show centered on Texas Legislature: It’s right there in the name – Out of Bounds is a comedy festival celebrating comedic forms beyond the norms. After a COVID-induced hiatus, Austin’s longest-running comedy fest returned last year under the guidance of new co-producers Ellen Pizarek and Asaf Ronen, who took a critical look at the sketch and improv-focused extravaganza they loved as attendees before molding their version.
“Nothing is precious about what we were doing before,” Pizarek says, as the duo decided to “create from the ground up something that embodies that community spirit that we love and that brought us in, but also serves where the community is now because it’s different than [in] the before times.”
Tweaked, shortened, and shuffled from September to November’s cooler temperatures, 2025’s weekendlong programming spread across a handful of theatres proved to be as vibrant, connective, and vital to Austin’s comedy community as OOB had been in years past, so the pair are running it back. New and familiar acts line the schedule, with headlining comics featured on comedy streaming channel Dropout – Jiavani, Oscar Montoya, and Zeke Nicholson – among a slate of improv and sketch groups from across the country.
Stand-up comedy rejoins the roster this year as well, retooled to fit with the festival’s outside-the-box mentality. Local and out-of-town comics are slotted into themed shows according to their preference. “We have one that’s Stoned versus Drunk versus Sober,” Ronen explains. “We have a stand-up show called ‘A Funny Feeling,’ where after the stand-up, a panel of therapists will ask follow-up questions and treat their set like it was the first session.” Sign-ups for that show outnumbered the others, which “says something about comedy right now,” Ronen laughs.
While Austin’s reputation for stand-up has bloomed post-pandemic, longtime scenesters know OOB brought the city’s funny folk to broader audiences long before that. “Out of Bounds was what helped put Austin improv comedy, especially, on the map of the national stage, long before the COVID times,” says Virgil Shelby, a founding member of improv troupe Y’all We Asian.
The Best of Austin Critics Pick-winning group will once again perform at OOB this year, taking their typical hourlong show – one of the longest-running residencies at Fallout Theater – to its boldest, smartest form for a condensed festival time slot. “We’ll definitely be playing to the top of our humor and intelligence,” says recent addition Attiya Ali.
Two days after the midterm election wraps up, sketch show Over the Lege will also be testing the limits of their comedic creativity, responding to voting results and local legislative decisions with minutes to spare. “It’s not fun, but it’s a part of the creative process, and we tearfully get to do it,” says founder Stephanie Chiarello.
Not all their material is subject to last-minute changes, for better or worse. “It is frustrating that we have to keep finding new ways to joke about them not wanting to give women healthcare access or about a new bathroom bill,” longtime cast member Aaron Salinas says.
Whatever happens, Salinas’ castmate Alisa Hernandez knows the show is an opportunity to bring awareness about local politics and a space for communal support in uncertain times. “We can all hug and cry afterwards if we need to,” she says. “Or hopefully hug and cheer.”
Whether you’re craving a bit of secondhand advice from a stand-up-turned-therapy session, a brain-tingling laugh to sharpen your tech-dulled senses, or hyperlocal political catharsis, Out of Bounds promises comedy with big feelings for all.
This article appears in October 30 • 2026.
